spec_evofandomcom-20200214-history
Japan (New Pleistocene)
Japan has become somewhat larger, due to the sea level dropping. Despite this, Japan's flora and fauna have relatively stayed the same, but due to the introduction of some invasive species, some of many of Japan's aquatic invertebrates have become extinct and the ecosystems changed. ---- *'Japanese raccoons', Procyon japonica, are descendants of raccoons introduced to Japan during the Holocene. They are slightly smaller than their North American cousins, they also have slightly shorter muzzles, legs and tails. They are though mainly differentiated by their coloration, while American raccoons have black markings, Japanese raccoons have dark to light brown markings. *The okineko, Trefelis hodophilax, is a descendant of feral domestic cats, it is nearly twice the size of a domestic cat. They are primarily tan in coloration, with faded brown spots and stripes painting their bodies. Okinekos are excellent climbers and usually hunt small to medium-sized mammals, such as Sika deer fawn, Japanese raccoons and Japanese minks. *The tanuki, Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus, is still widespread across Japan, they survived for being opportunistic and intelligent. Tanuki compete with the Japanese raccoons for some resources, though in the future this is rare, because Japanese raccoons usually stay in trees and usually are active at different times. *'Forest ponies', Equus nihonba, are descendants of feral horses that survived on islands in Japan and migrated across the rest of Japan, when the islands reconnected with each other. They closely resemble yakutian horses, but only come in a chestnut coloration. Forest ponies have thicker manes than their descendants, that are semi-erect similar to the heck horse. *'Japanese tapir', Tapirus japanii, is a descendant of tapirs that escaped from zoos from Japan. It is slightly bigger than its ancestors and is a peaceful herbivore that fills the ecological niche similar to the now-extinct Malayan tapir. *The Japanese gray wolf, Canis lupus cabiris, is a descendant of the Mexican wolf, Canis lupus baileyi, that were reestablished in the wild, their main prey are forest ponies, island giant deer and sika deer. *A Japanese elephant, Elephas maximus japonicus, is a subspecies of Asian elephant native to Japan. It is about the size of the Sumatran elephant and is slightly more hairy than modern Asian elephants due to Japan being colder than in most areas where other Asian elephants are native to. *'The Japanese forest leopard', Panthera pardus alpinus, is a descendant of African leopards that escaped from zoos. They resemble the now-extinct Amur leopard. *'Asian cougar', Puma concolor japonicus, is a descendant of cougars that escaped from zoos. They are bigger than modern cougars, about the size of an African lion. *The Hokkaido lynx, Lynx japonica, is a descendant of Eurasian/Canadian lynxes that were released to Japan. They are larger than their ancestors, about the size of a black bear. They prey on deer, boars and tapirs. *The Japanese lowland hyena, Hyaena japonicus, is a descendant of brown hyenas that were introduced to Japan for Pleistocene rewilding. They are now carnivorous. They evolved to live and hunt in packs. *The Japanese forest tapir, Tapirus japonica, tapirs were introduced to Japan as part of Pleistocene Rewilding. Japanese tapirs are more social than their ancestors, living in groups up to about 24 members in a single herd. It hasn't changed much other than it's now bigger though (about the size of a black bear), due to predatory competition. *The Japanese bison, Bison bison japonicus, is a descendant of plains bison that were introduced to Japan due to Pleistocene rewilding by humans. They resemble the long-extinct steppe bison in appearance and in size. *The Japanese lowland gaur, Bos gaurus nippon, a descendant of gaurs that were released to Japan. They evolved thicker fur to survive the cold winter. They run in large herds. *The Japanese lowland buffalo, Bubalis bubalis japonii, a descendant of water buffaloes that were introduced to Japan. They evolved thicker fur to survive the cold winter. They run in large herds. *The Japanese lowland caribou, Rangifer tarandus japonica, is a descendant of caribou that were released to Japan. They run in very large herds. Category:Japan